Behind the mineral façade of Place Vendôme, a space escapes urban logic. From April 24, 2026, the Grand Jardin of the Ritz Paris – one thousand six hundred square meters, concealed, structured like a microclimate – will become the setting for a seasonal feature: the Ritz Bar d’Été.
The challenge is not to install an outdoor bar. It’s about moving mixology into an environment that dictates its rules.
The garden as a frame of reference
Le Grand Jardin is not a set. It acts as a matrix. Its essences – lavender, white flowers, citrus – are not simply evoked, they are translated. Each cocktail becomes an extension of the place, or rather a variation on it.
The map designed by Romain de Courcy is based on a clear structure: associate a territory with an olfactory signature. Not to reproduce a landscape, but to extract an aromatic principle from it.
Un Jardin en Provence” combines strawberry, lavender and rosemary with a sparkling rosé. “Un Jardin à Casablanca” mobilizes neroli, Atlas cedar and almond, with a champagne base. “Un Jardin Anglais” features elderflower, mint and cucumber, prolonged by pear cider.
Each composition is based on an identifiable balance: a floral note, a fruity structure and an effervescent base.
This triptych becomes a method.
Extraction as a gesture
The most precise aspect of the system lies in sourcing. The flavors used are not industrial interpretations, but natural extracts developed with artisans in Grasse. This detail moves mixology closer to the world of perfumery.
We no longer just mix liquids. We work with raw materials.
The presence of alcohol-free versions for certain creations confirms this orientation. Deprived of ethanol, the cocktail must rely entirely on its aromatic construction. The structure then becomes clearer – and more demanding.
A dual-reading map
At the same time, the Ritz Bar maintains a selection of classics – Negroni, Americano, Dry Martini – that act as reference points. Not to reassure, but to situate the creations within a broader history of mixology.
Contemporary gesture is always measured against a base.
This liquid structure is complemented by a tightly-packed food offering. The binchotan barbecue, activated on Fridays and Saturdays, introduces Japanese charcoal cooking, characterized by stable heat and low smoke emission. Skewers of prawns, lobster, marinated chicken or vegetable alternatives: the grill becomes an extension of the bar.
Here, fire responds to plants.
Temporality and use
Open from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Ritz Bar d’Été is positioned in a temporal in-between. Neither lunch nor dinner. A suspended moment, where the cocktail becomes a pretext for occupying the space.
This choice is not insignificant. It reflects an evolution in Parisian habits: fragmenting the day, multiplying sequences, favoring short but qualitative formats.
The venue’s closed configuration reinforces this sense of distance. You don’t enter by chance. You settle in.
The Ritz Bar d’Été doesn’t offer an additional menu. It’s a system: a place, raw materials, an aromatic style.
In this context, the cocktail ceases to be a drink.
It becomes a translation.
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